Cherish the Ladies' tenth studio album is reliable without being redundant, soft without seeming slight, and as rollicking as it is sentimental. Joined by a small army of guests that read like Celtic and singer/songwriter royalty (Sharon Shannon/Triona Ni Dhomhnaill/Phil Cunningham/Kate Rusby/Eddi Reader), the Ladies have crafted a beautiful set that harks back to their 1992 debut. The impossibly lovely voice of Heidi Talbot -- it's like standing between Alison Krauss and Kirsty MacColl singing at the same time -- carries each ballad, both traditional ("Green Fields of Canada," "Bogie's Bonnie Belle") and contemporary ("Sweet Thames Flow Softly"), with such effortlessness that it's a wonder she even has to move her mouth, while the band makes high-octane instrumentals like "Jigs: Carolan's Favorite Jig/The Rakes of Cashel/Highland March in Oscar & Malvina" and the ferocious title track sound like the very forces of nature in human form. ~ James Christopher Monger